CHANEL PreCollection SS2020
To embody the Spring-Summer 2020 pre-collection, Virginie Viard has chosen Caroline de Maigret, ambassador of the House. She was shot by photographer Leila Smara at the legendary CHANEL address at 31 rue Cambon in Paris.
For this pre-collection, Virginie Viard has imagined a very Parisian silhouette, with a cool and chic allure that lights up everyday life. The soft, comfortable lines emphasise the masculine-feminine spirit characteristic of CHANEL, further illustrated by the choice of materials such as tweed, denim, leather, satin and cotton poplin.
A pink and gold tweed jacket with four pockets is worn naturally with faded jeans. Tweed also comes as a black and white checked blazer whose rigour is softened by an ethereal jabot blouse and a pair of diaphanous shorts in cotton poplin. Tweed is feminised as a sensual and graphic bustier top accompanied by trousers in quilted leather. Leather, again, is printed with silver pinstripes for a straight-cut jacket and trouser ensemble.
Ease and freedom of movement are at the heart of the CHANEL silhouette. A tweed trouser suit with an ultra-fluid cut worn over a jersey top, a very soft long coat in cotton tweed combined with white jeans, and a casual chic ensemble in printed satin all perfectly correspond with this philosophy.
To walk, move, to come and go in the utmost comfort, the shoes are flat or have a small square heel: derby shoes in patent leather, slingback pumps in fishnet, flat sandals trimmed with chains and loafers in crêpe and grosgrain embellished with a rhinestone comet. A small tote bag in quilted leather has integrated handles and a strap allowing for two ways of wearing it. Finally, couture jewelry - multi-strand sautoirs, pearl necklaces, cuff bracelets, curb chains and XL chain belts - punctuates all the silhouettes.
With the Spring-Summer 2020 pre-collection, Virginie Viard reinvents the essence of the Parisienne and her nonchalant elegance. She infuses her with a youthfulness that reflects the eternal and contemporary allure of the CHANEL woman. Discover the collection in boutiques from January 2020.
SAINT LAURENT SUMMER 20 LE SMOKING
Kate Moss, Freja Beha Erichsen, Stella Tennant, Liya Kebede, Mica Argañaraz, Anja Rubik and Naomi Campbell captured by Juergen Teller.
SAINT LAURENT SELF 05 BY WONG KAR WAI
Saint Laurent SELF 05, ‘A night in Shanghai’, curated by Chinese artist Wong Kar Wai and directed by Wing Shya, marks the fifth chapter of the project, following Daido Moriyama, Vanessa Beecroft, Bret Easton Ellis and Gaspar Noé. The intention of the project is to capture different aspects of the Saint Laurent personality, underlining the complexity of various individuals through the eyes of artists selected by Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent creative director. SELF represents the self-expression and conveys many different facets of the Saint Laurent attitude.
‘A night in Shanghai’ is a story about the introspective research of our-self, which starts from breaking the balance. Ju Xiaowen is walking on the wire, trying to find the balance in real life by comparing the past and the present, sharply contrasting. Looking for who she is and moved by the desire to express herself.
‘Saint Laurent is unique, distinctive among high fashion. Anthony loves art and his designs worn gorgeously, and stays independent. Saint Laurent is always about ‘breaking the balance’ in this era, like no one else, the brand is brave in expressing itself.’ Wong Kar Wai
‘Wong Kar Wai envisions individual feelings; his art is like a vivid dream projected into real life, which emphasizes the contrast between the fragile aspect of humanity and reality. It was a very instinctive process based on mutual respect and admiration, in the movie you can find and feel the Saint Laurent fantasy taking shape as natural consequence.’
Anthony Vaccarello
The traditional feeling of Shanghai meets the contemporary Saint Laurent, creating a subtle chemistry, as much as the modern skyline of the city blends with the iconic spirit of the brand.
The short movie will be exclusively presented in an immersive screen-installation at Yuz Museum in Shanghai art district, accessible to public from the 22nd until the 24th of November.
LOUIS VUITTON SS20 / LiveStreaming
HERMES SS20 / LiveStreaming
SAINT LAURENT SS20
At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello reinterpreted the iconic peasant collection of the House to striking effect. With a stellar casting, including the likes of Stella Tennant, Anja Rubik, Freja Beha and Naomi Campbell, he delivered the shameless sense of glamour associated with the brand.
SAINT LAURENT X GOOGLE
Saint Laurent and JacquardTM by Google announce the Cit-e Backpack.
Jacquard developed a platform that consists of intelligent yarns integrated into the Saint Laurent backpack’s fabric—creating an interactive touch area that allows for gestures. A Jacquard Tag provides connectivity from the interactive panel to a mobile phone.
Saint Laurent and Google Jacquard weave intelligence into the everyday Cit-e Backpack that allows it to control music, drop pins on the go, and take pictures with a simple gesture. The experience is optimized for both iOS and Android. The app allows you to configure Abilities to gestures and alerts and revisit activities with the Cit-e Backpack.
Jacquard is an advanced technology that allows users to interact seamlessly with digital services in their daily activities, to improve their daily lives. This new experience developed by Saint Laurent & Jacquard aims to explore the future of fashion, made possible by technological advances.
Available exclusively at Saint Laurent Rive Droite
DELVAUX modern heritage in 'New York Stories'
Paying homage to the city's unique character, la Maison Delvaux show elegance, grace and power in black and white, through the talented eye of director Francesco Carrozzini. In 'New York Stories', 4 independent woman (Musician Asia Chow, entrepreneur Neil Diamond, model Chanel Iman and the one and only singer / actress / icon Courtney Love ) display their must-have Delvaux handbag on the Upper East Side. Already famed images to celebrate once again, the Delvaux Boutique on 5th Avenue.
/ Review by Julie Nysten /
Impulses / CAMPER FW19 Campaign
The line between humans and machines is blurrier than ever in the technologically tuned-up universe of our Fall/Winter 2019 campaign.
Inspired by the fearless innovation and precision performance of motor sports, Romain Kremer presents a post-modern world fueled by impulses – where how you drive determines your future and respect is earned one race at a time. Featuring eight high-octane avatars, the campaign brings racing subculture to life, blending fierce colors and aerodynamic details in a custom-built collection that craves speed and accelerates out of the curves.
A TOUCHING FAREWELL AT KENZO
When it was announced earlier this month that Carol Lim and Humberto Leon would unveil their last collection for Kenzo in Paris, you knew their show would be memorable. It was, in fact, a true spectacle, complete with models, dancers, musicians, and a soulful performance by Solange Knowles.
Kenzo Takada himself sat front row to watch a collection that paid homage to Japan’s ancestral traditions and its breathtaking coasts. The sea was the main source of inspiration for the designers, who invoked the resilient spirit of sailors and super heroes, on the hunt for their next treasure. Mixing traditional sailing motifs with technical fabrics found in scuba diving, Lim and Leon chose neoprene to craft matching jackets and pants, as well as a wet effect creased jersey. Sheer pieces were printed with mermaids, prawns and sea lilies. Ikat prints, sun-bleached denims and liquid look viscose were used for men and women alike, creating a nice harmony between the two lines.
The American designers are famous for merging sportswear with sleeker lines and their reinterpretation of suiting was right on trend. Beautiful pastel tones added softness to the most structured styles, and a sense of romance defined the last womenswear looks, which were surprisingly intricate and embellished. A fully embroidered skirt -covered with stunning pearls and sequins- was worn with a simple cropped blouse and colorful sneakers. It was the perfect illustration of what Lim and Leon have always stood for: a sense of fantasy fused with urban pragmatism.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
/ Backstage pictures by Merel Hart /
LUDOVIC DE SAINT SERNIN Men's SS20 BACKSTAGE
SWEET LITTLE NOTHINGS AT LUDOVIC DE SAINT SERNIN
It only took a few seasons for Ludovic de Saint Sernin to turn into one of Paris’ hottest brands, quite an achievement for someone still in his late 20s. De Saint Sernin’s vision is strong, subversive, humorous and uncompromising. His last show gathered industry insiders who clearly showed their support, such as Rick Owens, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing and Willy Vanderperre who shot the designer’s last campaign.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s work is about intimacy, gender -and above all skin- a dismantling of our society’s archetypes to propose a new and sensitive approach towards men and women alike. If the French designer sees beauty in fragility, he’s also challenging the social norms of conformity and suffocating standardization. His incredibly sensual show underlined a Kunderian lightness of being, which was evidenced by his choice of tactile materials, such as breezy taffeta, silk satin or sheer organza.
De Sernin took on certain codes to reformulate them his way, such as military-inspired styles for instance. A belted nude colored trench was worn as an outfit against bare skin, with a pair of matching leather sandals and nothing else. Reworked cargo pants were tight on the hips and flared at the bottom, hugging every possible curve. He even paired one of those with a nude, asymmetrical bandage top, a nod to the early 1990s. Other references to that era were also clear, from Alexander McQueen’s infamous ‘bumsters’ to Helmut Lang’s exposed nipple tops, but de Saint Sernin offered the ultra low waist pants covered with Swarovski crystals and reworked the classic polo shirt with an erotic cutout.
He also presented his own version of sleek tailoring, focusing on body-conscious suits, which featured no pockets and concealed buttons. Avoiding unnecessary details to underline sharply cut lines is one of the designer’s signatures, borrowing from the sexiness of womenswear to avoid traditional men’s finishes. When a model came out wearing a simple towel wrapped around his waist, it offered an instant breather to a delighted audience. In a fashion landscape filled with logos, celebrity lines and trying way too hard clothes, de Saint Sernin’s reductionist and intelligent approach could be the way forward.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
/ Runway pictures by Luca Tombolini /
A LEAN MACHINE AT CELINE
One of Hedi Slimane’s many talents is to play against expectations while sticking to his guns and that’s precisely what he did with his last Celine show. If David Kramer’s artworks for the brand -featured online and within the invitation book- made you think of sunny LA afternoons and psychedelic pursuits, you were in for a surprise when the show started.
Tapping into the 1970s and some of his beloved icons and musical references, the French designer elongated the silhouette to new extremes. His jeans were rather slim, slightly flared and sat at the waist, which made his models’ legs look even longer. Slimane also used abbreviated blouson jackets that minimized the torso area and shoulder line. A formal, double-breasted pinstripe jacket -trimmed with a red carnation- was casually worn open over a denim shirt, which instantly brought French singer and composer Serge Gainsbourg to mind. If Gainsbourg’s style was négligé and looked accidental, it was in fact the complete opposite as every element of his persona and attitude were carefully chosen and mixed together.
That sense of studied nonchalance was also evidenced in Slimane’s choice of accessories, such as an unpretentious but surprising straw tote worn over the shoulder or straightforward white sneakers, which went against the current trend of gigantic and over-embellished numbers. Such longing to reconnect with authentic clothes is without a doubt one of Slimane’s driving forces and there several garments to covet in his show, from sleek black leather pants and stripy overalls to a military print trench or a slim black suit. The pointy white boots were a nod to 1970s kitsch, and they added a playful touch to the overall silhouette. Think disco pimp dancing to CHIC.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
A LAIDBACK APPROACH AT HERMÈS
Véronique Nichanian celebrated her first three decades as Hermès' menswear artistic director last year, and she managed to keep her finger on the pulse with this last collection.
Sensing the modern man's current need for ease, relaxed shapes and simplicity, she loosened the silhouette this time and reduced her color palette, too, sticking to neutral tones with occasional dashes of color. The key item within the collection was the pant, and the French designer paid particular attention to volume and proportion. Most styles were long and baggy, with the exception of a few cropped numbers that looked perfectly appropriate with the brand's new leather sandals.
Nichanian also used prim checks and pajama style stripes -mainly for coats and shirting- to evoke an informal feeling, which gave the collection a holiday vibe. Of course, the French House is all about intricate luxury, and buttersoft leather pants looked as cozy as an old pair of jeans. For the show finale, Nichanian crafted exquisite printed pieces, which looked refined and nonchalant at once. Loose shirts were styled with cropped stripy pants and foulard printed jackets looked slim and elegant. It was smart from Nichanian to refer to the House's unique heritage while keeping the silhouette cool and minimal. The beauty and precision of those prints were enough to win you over.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
/ Backstage pictures by Geordie Wood /
/ Runway pictures by Jean-François José /
SIES MARJAN Men's SS20 BACKSTAGE
/ Photography by Merel Hart /
// A LONGING FOR TRUE BEAUTY AT BERLUTI //
Showcased in the sunny and peaceful Luxembourg Gardens, Berluti’s last collection -designed by Kris Van Assche- was a tribute to timeless beauty and meticulous craftsmanship. The Belgian designer was searching for new and contemporary ways to reinterpret the cherished notion of elegance and his vision came to life seamlessly.
Tailoring was one of the show’s strongest points, as it looked equally great on men and women. Double-breasted, sleeveless, fitted or elongated, the jacket was a key garment within the collection and it gave a reassuring sense of structure from the very first look. Van Assche used tailored lines as a canvas to express a more personal vision of luxury, made modern through his use of embellishment and controlled exuberance. Cropped and colorful bombers were worn over jackets and pants. Dreamy feathers also appeared on sharp-looking suits, while chunky chains adorned sleek city bags.
If formality is a Berluti trademark, Van Assche also wanted to underline a more sensitive and spontaneous approach towards the brand, which was evidenced in his stunning use of color. Seeing orange, purple, chartreuse yellow, bright blues and fuchsia pink on the runway was a feast for the eyes, as it added an uplifting vibe to the brand’s proposal. Garments referring to motorcycle gear gave a dynamic edge to the line-up, and Van Assche kept exploring the boundaries between sporty and dressy. A sleeveless jacket, worn with a baggy pair of shorts and graphic sneakers, propelled the brand into our present time, nicely connecting the speed of the street with the patience of craft.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
/ Backstage pictures by Merel Hart /
// HERMES / Men's SS20 LiveStreaming //
// A SOFTER TOUCH AT LOUIS VUITTON //
Our world may be getting increasingly fast -and patience may have become the rarest virtue- Virgil Abloh wanted to slow things down at Louis Vuitton this season, and his last show for the House had a meditative and tranquil quality.
Attracted by the power of the flower -as a natural wonder and symbolic expression of change- Abloh focused on a vision of masculinity in motion, giving his silhouette a languid and fluid feel. Pleated, pressed-crease trousers were loose and voluminous, while a mauve shirt in nappa goat leather featured one single oversize pocket, which is all that you need to carry life’s essentials. That generosity also defined Abloh’s outerwear, which was on the roomy side again, and included lightweight parkas and hooded anoraks, as well as military-inspired styles and generous trench coats. Contrived effects are not relevant in menswear right now and the designer fully embraced this longing for ease.
This does not mean, however, that the collection didn’t feature experimental shapes or daring accessories, such as pleated monogram bags or flower-covered totes. Abloh seemed to be referring to the formative years defining the passage from boyhood to manhood, and how clothes play a crucial part within that period. He did offer intricate tailoring, but in vibrant and uninhibited shades -such as fuchsia pink for instance- and innovative technical jerseys, which added a sculptural quality to his suits.
The idea of blossoming and transformation continued throughout the show and silhouettes became more dramatic, with added luggage and bags carried by the models themselves or hanging on abstract structures hovering around their bodies. Was Abloh evoking the baggage every man carries from puberty to adulthood, or was he referring to his own nomadic lifestyle? The presence of kites on some of these looks indicated that the Vuitton man was, without a doubt, ready for take-off.
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/ Words by Philippe Pourhashemi /
// ACNE STUDIOS Men's SS20 BACKSTAGE //
/ Photography by Merel Hart /
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